Street-railway switch



(Nomoael.) z'sneets-sheen 1.

W. WHITE- STREET RAILWAYv SWITCH.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

.(No Model.)

W. WHITE.

STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

- 110.396,128.v PatentedJall. 15, 1889.

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UNITED STATES Y PATENT EErcE.

TILLIAM IVHITE, OF IVIIITE PLAINS, NEV YORK.

STREET-RAI LWAY SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 396,128, dated January 15, 1889. Application iiled October 29, 1887. Serial No. 253,701. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WHITE, of IVhite Plains, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Street-Railway Switches, vwhich invention is fully set forth and illustrated in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is to furnish a simple and practicable mechanism for that class of switches in which a tilting' or vibrating platform is operated by the horse or horses drawing the car to effect the necessary movement of .the vilnating tongue of the switch, which mechanism shall be easily accessible within a much shallower pit than commonly used for said class of switches, while the necessary motion given to the tilting platform and the number of wearing-points shall also be greatly diminished or reduced to a minimum.

The invention consists of the parts and combinations of parts,as hereinafter described and claimed. y

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure l is a top plan of the switch. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical crosssection taken at the line m a' of Figs. l and 2. Fig. 4- is a similar section taken at the line y fg of Figs. l and 2. Fig. 5 is asimilar section, enlarged, taken at the line .e ,c of l and 2. Figs. (i and 7 illustrate details hereinafter described.

The letter A indicates the tilting platform; B, a Xed plate or cover forming part of the space between the rails; C, the switch-plate and rails; and D, the movable tongue of the switch pivoted at d vand at c articulated to a connectiilg-rod, E, provided with a turnbuckle, F, the opposite end of said rod being riveted or bolted, as at b b, or otherwise secured, to a flat spring', c, bent over and secured by bolts or rivets f to one arm of a bellcrank, if, secured by a stud or screw-bolt, g, to a chipping' piece or block, H, on the end of the frame R. The other arm, k, of said bellcrank G terminates in a double beveled point, which is entered into a correspondingly-recessed follower, K, bearing against a coiled spring, J, said follower and spring being each contained within a recess, M, formed in the head of the arm L, whose opposite end is secured fast on the rock-shaft I by a set-screw, 71, or otherwise. Said shaft is journaled in bearings on. m., secured to transverse frame Q and end frame, R. On said shaft I is secured fast a double-armed lever or beam, N, Fig. 3, each larm of which rises to close contact, as at n n, with a cross rib or web, O, secured fast to the tilting' platform A, pivoted at each end in. bearings a uy on the end frame, P, and transverse frame S, Fig. 2. Either arm of the yoke or beam N maybe counterweighted to balance any tendency in the weight of the operative parts to throw the yoke, and with it the table A and tongue D, to the wrong side.

The operation of all the said parts can now be easily understood, and is as follows: lVhen.

the weight of the horse is brought upon the tilting platform A to either one side or the other, as the driver may determine, the platform is depressed to one side on its pivotal points a a. '.lhis movement of. the platform is transmitted to the movable tongue and throws its point full over to 011e side or the other, so that the car following the horse and entering upon the switch is either deected by the point of the tongue D to the curved track or else runs past said point and continues along on the straight track. The tongue D receives said movements from the tilting platform A bythe following instrumentalities: The cross rib or web O, in contact with the arms of thc double-cnde il lever or beam N, transmits to either arm of said beam the weightof the horse on the platform A. Said beam then oscillates the rock-shaft I, which in turn rocks the arm L, containing within the socket M, in its head, the spring J and follower K, which arrangement makes a exiblc junction between said follower and the end of one arm, 7s, of the bell-crank G. Said bell-crank will thus be actuated by the oscillat-ion of the arm L, and throughits other arm,

j, said bell-crank will, through the interposed spring connection or arm c, actuate the spring connecting-rod E, and through its intervention transmit the necessary movements to operate the tongue D, to which said connecting rod E is articulated, as at c, sufficiently remote from the pivotal point d of said tongue to afford the necessary leverage for operating it. The tongue D may be secured at its pivotal point by any suitable pin or fastening, or

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- and claimed in another application herewith and l.

by pin, key, and collar, in the manner shown tiled b v me, numbered 253,700, of even date herewith, but to which] herein make no claim. The conneeti11g-rod E may also be secured to the tongue at the pointe, as shown and claimed in my said application, (but herein not claimed,) by a countersunk serewthreaded nut on the end ot' the rod bent up and inserted in a square hole in the tonguebelow said countersunk nut; or any other suitable inode of attachment may be adopted.

In Fig. 7 is shown in three views, detached, one of the stops s, which are shown in Figs. 2 Said stops limit the throw or are of oscillation of the table A, which are is very small, the sp ring-connections between t-h e arm Il and connecting-rod E and the turn-buckle IP on the latter serving to regulate any wear that may take place, so that the tongue D will always be quickly thrown completely over when the table is tilted through its small arc of vibration. The stops s are provided with grooves `r, which are inclined, as indicated at 0; in the several views of Fig. 7. These groovesleadfrom the surfaces of the internal fastenings of the box-frame of the switch, and thus conduct any water rapidly away that may fall upon and between the table A and adjacent parts.

The yoke or beam N and the cross-web O may have their contact surfaces either straight or flat, as shown, or slightly curved. The less their arcs of vibration, however, the less need, 'it is obvious, there will be for any curvature of surfaces between them. It will be observed that the tilting table A is not only braced by the cross-web O, through which it eonununieates its tilting motion to the tongue I), but said web has formed as part thereof another and longitudinal web, w, under the middle of the table and running its ent-ire length to its pivotal points a a. The table is thus thoroughly braced both longitudinally and transversely. It is also located entirely within the rails, thus exempting it from much destructive wear of and operation by ordinary vehicles and wagons passing outside oi" the track. Only the ears and those vehicles passing inside the rails can operate this table, and consequently the tongue I), which tongue in any event is iinmediately restored to its normal position, whenever moved, as soon as the movingbody passes, whether the tongue be moved by the depression ot' the table or by the iianges of car wheels :ftpproaching the point of the tongue from the direction of its heel or not.

The construction of the whole plant or frame of this switch is such that only a Very shallow pit is required, and only a small plate or cover, T, is requisite to enter that portion of the pit where the main operative parts are situated. The extreme points, marked 7 and V, Figs. l and 2, of the switehplates or rails C may be secured to the track-rails in any suitable and well-known manner.

Having thus fully described said improvement in streetrailroad switches as of my invention, I claiml. In combination with a tilting platform, as A, a rock shaft, as I, provided with a double-arm ed lever or beam, as N, and an arm, as L, having within a socket therein a spring, as .I, and a follower, as K, abell-crank, as G, a barspring, as e, and a connecting-rod, as E, united to said crank by said spring and articulated to a vibrating tongue, as D, whereby said tongue is operated by the tilting of said platform, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In a movable-tongue switch,abell-crank, as G, having one arm adapted to receive a spring, as e, and another arm adapted to receive the reaction ot another spring, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a movable-tongue switch, a spring, as .I, socketed within a vibrating arm, in combination with a follower, as K, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

i. In a Streetcar switch, in combination with a movable tongue, a spring Connectingrod secured thereto for operating the same, substani ially as and for thepurposes set forth.

5. In a movable-tongue switch, atilting platform or table provided with transverse and longitudinal braces, as 0 w, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a mov/'abletongue switch, a stop or stops, as S, secured to the framing of the switeh to limit the are of vib ration of the tilt ing platform, and provided with inclined grooves or gutters for rapidly conducting away any water falling upon and between. Said platform and adjacent parts of the switch box or I'raming, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

WILLIAM XVIIITE.

'itness s:

(f1 tRLns F. Coornn, JosIAH B. ADnUcH.

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